Tag: Terry Ilous

Rival Sons are prepping the release of their latest album 'Great Western Valkyrie,' recorded with producer Dave Cobb at LCS Studios in Nashville earlier this year. It will be released on June 6th in Europe, June 9th in the UK and June 10th in North America. While the first single is slated to be 'Open My Eyes,' a fan made cartoon video for the track 'Electric Man' leads off these Rock Picks of the Week. Check out the video and audio samples of the new album below.

Rival Sons will also be releasing a 7" vinyl single with the 2 brand new tracks, 'Electric Man' and 'Belle Starr' this Saturday, April 19 as part of Record Store Day 14!

Great Western Valkyrie is available to pre-order now in digi-sleeve CD and limited edition colored vinyl formats. A ultra-limited box set will also be available that includes the following:

California Breed 'Sweet Tea' and 'Midnight Oil'
The impressive hard rock power trio, California Breed, which consists of Glenn Hughes (vocals, bass), Jason Bonham (drums) and Andrew Watt (guitar) have released their first video and single in the U.S., and have now also put out a kick ass lyric video for a second track on their self-titled forthcoming album.

The three-man line-up got together as California Breed for the first time last year after Hughes was introduced to the newcomer from New York by their mutual friend Julian Lennon. “Julian was having an exhibition of his photographs at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in LA,” Glenn recalls, “and he said, ‘You must meet this guy, he’s the most fantastic guitarist – who turned out to be Andrew.”

Reconvening at Hughes’ Hollywood home a few days later, “The chemistry was just instant,” says Hughes. “We immediately wrote two songs together, Chemical Rain and Solo, both of which have ended up on the album. That’s when I called Jason and said you’ve gotta come down right now.”

“The energy when I walked in the room was crackling,” recalls Bonham. “I was so pleased. Glenn and I had not only really locked in as a rhythm section in BCC but we’d started writing together and we both really wanted to keep that good feeling going.”

Recording with Dave Cobb (who also is Rival Sons producer) at the producer’s own studio in Nashville, added all the finishing touches, said Glenn. “I’d gotten into Dave’s work via the Rival Sons, who I know and really love. But Dave has done a lot of great stuff. That whole Nashville trip which Dave is a part of. Well, me and Jason don’t want to sound like anyone else, we already sound like ourselves, but we felt we needed some fresh energy – and Dave absolutely brought it.”

At Cobb’s insistence, every vocal was recorded live as the band was playing. “Totally the reverse of what I’m used to,” added Glenn. “But I went into that aggressive rock soulfulness and everything down to the whispers, it was all done live! I enjoyed myself so much, just going for it.”

California Breed features equal co-writing credits among the three-man lineup. “It’s proper rock,” Hughes says, “but at the same time it’s very now. Andrew is as influenced by Mick Ronson as he is Jimmy Page.” “This kid is amazing,” says Bonham. “The first time we met I thought he looked like the white Jimi Hendrix. And he plays in the studio likes he’s onstage!”

“I grew up listening to all the grunge bands,” says Watt, “but my dad always played me The Who, the Stones and Led Zeppelin so that became my music too.

“This kid is amazing,” says Bonham. “The first time we met I thought he looked like the white Jimi Hendrix. And he plays in the studio likes he’s onstage!”

California Breed’s self-titled debut album will be released by Frontiers Records in Europe on May 16th, and in the UK and US on May 19th. It will be available as a CD, digital download and a Deluxe Edition CD + DVD featuring the bonus song 'Solo,' two video clips and a documentary. Fans that pre-order the digital download on iTunes will receive an instant download of the first single, Sweet Tea upon ordering. It is also available as a pre-order from Amazon in CD format and as a CD Deluxe Edition CD + DVD.

*Deluxe Edition includes Solo bonus track and a DVD including 2 video clips (The Way and Sweet Tea), plus documentary

Check out the videos for the first U.S. single 'Sweet Tea', and the animated lyric video for the track 'Midnight Oil,' which was created by Nev Todoroic who spearheads the interactive media production company The Young Astronauts.

Says California Breed’s guitarist, Andrew Watt - "We wanted a lyric video that would make people want to watch this song in addition to just listen to it, one that would highlight the bombastic grooves of the track and convey the rhythm of the message. I turned to my friends, the Young Astronauts, whose previous videos have hundreds of millions of views, but they don’t work with a lot of rock bands and I thought THAT’S the magic, right there."

“It’s a refreshing animated video that really captures the lyrical concert and message of the Midnight Oil single,” says California Breed’s vocalist and bassist, Glenn Hughes. “We didn’t want to make a run-of-the-mill lyric video. The animation perfectly captures the raw energy, lyrical content and the message of what Midnight Oil is really all about... rock n roll!!”

Midnight Oil is the UK’s first single taken from California Breed’s self-titled debut album released by Frontiers Records in Europe on May 16th, and in the UK and US on May 19th.

Metallica 'Ronnie Rising Medley'
Metallica couldn’t pick just one Ronnie James Dio song to record for the tribute/benefit compilation 'This Is Your Life,' so they picked four. The nine-minute 'Ronnie Rising Medley,' puts together four classic Rainbow tracks that featuring Ronnie in a kick-ass tribute to their mentor and friend.

Lars Ulrich recently told Rolling Stone: “[Dio's] music is so much a part of what’s in Metallica’s DNA, the harder, edgier, blues-based hard rock from the Seventies,” he says. “It was fairly effortless to put this together, because it’s something that we were all reared on. I don’t recall sitting there in a band meeting or anything deciding what to play. Somebody starts playing Stargazer-which is sort of just like something that’s in our arsenal to jam – and then that whole period there, Tarot Woman, Kill the King, A Light in the Black-that’s just really effortless to jump into.”

Buckcherry 'Dreamin' Of You'

The latest single and video from Buckcherry's 'Confessions' album, shows the sensitive side of the band and delivers a positive message, about keeping hope and faith that the situation that it will work out with a particular person.

Vocalist Josh Todd recently told Loudwire: "It comes from being lost your whole life and feeling like you’re not a part of the majority, you know? When I was coming up I always felt like there were these little popular cliques in school and there was mainstream music, and I was never part of those types of movements. I was always on the outside looking in, and mostly by choice. It just didn’t feel right, and if something didn’t feel right for me, I wouldn’t go along with it just because other people were going along with it.

So ‘Dreamin’ of You’ is about how when you hook up with somebody and in the story there’s a love interest. There’s this kid in the story who is rough around the edges and has had kind of a colorful childhood and he meets this polar opposite of him, who on the outside, it looks like she’s got it all. She’s got all the material things and her life should be great, but on the inside, she’s a cutter. She has some dark secrets of her own, so ‘Dreamin’ of You’ is just like having hope and having blind faith that everything is going to work out."

Great White's 'Complicated' is the latest single from the band's latest release 'Elation' on Frontiers Records. The boogie-blues track is signature Great White, with fantastic musicianship by the entire band, a rockin’ guitar solo by Mark Kendall, great vocals by Terry Ilous, and a chorus that will catch you. For the new music video the band enlisted help from Mark Teague of Dream Haven Studios to create a multi-media narrative: a first for the band. “We really had a good time making the video and we hope the fans dig it. They will feel the positive energy coming from the song and video,” the band said.

With a futuristic storyline, the band appear via an orb as mini virtual versions of themselves straight off their CD. They really make a "connection" with the main character. Check it out for yourselves and make sure you check out Great White on the road this Spring and Summer. Get all you Great White info at: greatwhiterocks.com

To mark the 40th Anniversary of KISS, some of the greatest rock musicians for a KISS tribute album. “A World With Heroes” features unique performances of incredible KISS songs. Rock journalist Mitch Lafon is behind the 'A World With Heroes' project, having set it up via a pledgemusic project campaign. The campaign has gone on to be one of the most successful in the pledgemusic history. Lafon said: “It’s come about because my father-in-law passed away at the hospice in January. I wanted to raise awareness and give back – rock stars certainly help raise awareness.” Now, Guns n’Roses guitarist Bumblefoot, former Whitesnake drummer Brian Tichy and ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown have formed Kiss tribute act ALIVE after they discovered their shared passion for the band from the upcoming charity record. The guys have also announced three upcoming shows, two in Southern California and one in Las Vegas.

Brown says: “We got asked to play on the album to benefit cancer research. It was a great cause and we wanted to be part of it – but I think it also came from a place of real passion too.

“I remember I was in seventh grade and this chick had a copy of Alive! I swiped it, and it changed the future of rock’n'roll as I know it. They are one of the reasons I jam to this day. It’s the attitude and the songs, not the schtick, that I go back to every time.

“After we’d heard what we’d recorded, we thought it would be a lot of fun to do it live. As it turned out, Mark and I had just finished recording the upcoming Kill Devil Hill album, and had a small window of time this summer before we head out on the road again. The timing perfectly coincided with breaks in Ron and Brian’s schedules as well, so we decided to put this thing together.”

Bumblefoot says: “Hearing the Kiss Alive! album at the age of five is what made me want to play guitar and join a band. I’m looking forward to playing the songs that launched my life.”

Tichy adds: “Kiss was the first band I got into. Peter Criss was my first drum idol. When the idea of going for this together was brought up we all reacted with unbridled excitement.” For more info, check out the guys facebook page

Mark Kendall and Michael Lardie of Great White sat down with me on June 27th at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, CA, before their gig later that night with opening act Slaughter and it was some great conversation. The guys talked about the new video for the track 'Shotgun Willie's', the pro & cons of the music business then and now and shared some remembrances of some past shows throughout their illustrious career. Mark also shared some great stories about growing up being exposed to Van Halen back in the day, with both sharing why they wanted to become musicians, when they knew the band had "made it" and who it was in the music biz that they couldn't believe they met. They also give a message to all the fantastic Great White fans out there! Check out the interview below and performance footage from both Great White and Slaughter, along with links to photos from the show!

Thanks so much to the talented and engaging Mark and Michael from Great White and Band Manager Obi Stienman for hooking up the interview, with a special Thanks going out to band publicist Melissa Kucirek and to Chumash Casino Resort Public Relations Specialist Mark Traphagen for making it happen!

After firing vocalist Scott Weiland from Stone Temple Pilots this past February, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo and drummer Eric Kretz announced their new singer Chester Bennington of Linkin Park at KROQ's annual Weenie Roast in Los Angeles last month. He is turning out to be a perfect fit, as the newest track from this incarnation of STP is flying up the charts.

On May 18, the band played a 40-minute set performing well known Stone Temple Pilot tracks and premiered a new song, "Out Of Time," the group's first track since 2010.

"Chester has a one-of-a-kind voice that we've admired for a long time," said guitarist Dean DeLeo in a press release. "We know Linkin Park will always be his priority, but we thought it would be cool to try something together. We managed to find the time to record a song and we're all really happy with the result."

"I’ve loved STP since I was 13 years old and they’ve had a huge influence on me," explained Bennington. "When the opportunity came up to do something creative with them, I jumped at the chance. The guys in Linkin Park have been incredibly supportive of me undertaking this project while I’ve continued to work on new music with LP."

Former STP vocalist Weiland has since repeated his initial claim that he hasn’t been fired, saying in a statement: “Like everybody else out there, I read about my band and their recent performance this past weekend with a new singer. To tell you the truth, it took me by surprise. And it hurt.

“But the band that played last weekend was not Stone Temple Pilots and it was wrong of them to present themselves as that. First of all they don’t have the legal right to call themselves STP because I’m still a member of the band.

“And more importantly, they don’t have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots, because it’s misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years.”

“Like any band that’s stood the test of time and made music for more than two decades, STP had a special alchemy – the four of us together were greater than any one of us apart.”

He finished: “I don’t give a fuck what they call themselves, but it’s not Stone Temple Pilots. I’ll see you out there on the road this summer where I’m touring as ‘Scott Weiland’ with my band The Wildabouts. But don’t give up on STP. I know I haven’t.”

I don't think the new STP is listening, as the band subsequently performed at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on May 30th for the MusiCares MAP Fund Benefit Concert, which honored Bennington and legendary skateboarder, surfer and musician Tony Alva. The annual event raised funds For MusiCares' Addiction Recovery Services. Slash, Duff McKagan, presenters Anthony Kiedis, Mike Shinoda and Andy Dick were also a part of the show.

As far as more new music from STP, Bennington told Rolling Stone that this is not just a musical fling: "When you get together and put a new piece in, there's a whole different energy. For us the creative juices have just been flowing – we've been writing, we have tons of great ideas. Next week we're going back in the studio and hammering out some more music."

"We don't have a label," he said. "Everything we're doing is on our own, so we're just taking it one track at a time. We would love to sit down and hammer out a record, but the reality is we're gonna make music, we're gonna make a lot of it, and we're gonna be in a position to release a single at a time, go out and really give people music the way they want to get it," he said. "It is a good position to be in, and for us, all we care about is going out, making the legacy as great as it needs to be, as great as people expect it to be, and coming out with new music that lives up to that standard."

Unless Weiland lawyers up like no one in history has before to put a stop to this, the new version of the band will be making their own mark as well.

It is always fantastic to hear great musicians in any setting or playing any genre. It is amazing when three of the finest in their fields can come together to create some musical magic, and that is just what The Winery Dogs have done. The amazing new power trio featuring rock veterans Mike Portnoy (Dream Theater, Avenged Sevenfold), Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big) and Richie Kotzen (Mr. Big, Poison), having recorded a new album of stellar material, have now signed with Loud & Proud Records. The Winery Dogs’ self-titled debut album will be released in North America on July 23rd. The Winery Dogs was self-produced and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour, Steel Panther).

The band have already released three videos from the new album, 'Elevate', 'Desire,' and ' I'm No Angel' which can all be seen below. I don't know what track I like more, hey are all so good.

In a press release on The Winery Dogs’ signing, Mike Portnoy commented, “I am so excited about The Winery Dogs and am proud and honored to be working with two of the greatest musicians on the planet! Richie Kotzen is such an unbelievable talent, as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter. I think The Winery Dogs will finally get him the attention and recognition that he so richly deserves. And what can be said of Billy Sheehan that hasn’t been said already? He is one the true pioneers of the instrument and a legend. I am looking forward to working with the great staff of Loud & Proud Records, some of whom I worked very closely with during their time at Roadrunner and my time with Dream Theater. I look forward to continuing that relationship with The Winery Dogs!”

Loud & Proud Owner & President Tom Lipsky added, “The debut by The Winery Dogs absolutely rocks and we are very excited that Loud & Proud is their label partner. This body of work showcases not only their renowned skills as musicians and vocalists, but also the depth of their talent as songwriters. Billy, Mike and Richie delivered some of the best performances of their illustrious careers and I am confident this album will be recognized as one of the truly great rock albums of the year.”

Touted as one of the best guitar players in the world, Richie Kotzen also possesses a voice on par with some of the greatest rock/soul singers and is highly regarded as a gifted songwriter. With guitar styles ranging from rock, blues, jazz and fusion to pop and soul, Kotzen has built a remarkably diverse 20-year career as a guitarist, singer and songwriter. A prolific songwriter, Richie has written several songs that have gone on to become hit singles around the world and he continues to appear in countless books, magazines and websites, being acknowledged as one of the top guitarists in the world.

Mike Portnoy is one of the founding members of Dream Theater, with whom he played drums for 25 years, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. Portnoy’s long list of awards include 26 Modern Drummer magazine Reader’s Poll Awards, including Hall of Fame Inductee in 2004, MVP of the Year in 2010, Best Progressive Rock Drummer (for the magazine’s record of 12 years in a row), Best Clinician (twice), Best Educational Video/DVD and Best Recorded Performance of the Year (seven times) while in Dream Theater and Avenged Sevenfold. He also holds the distinction being the second youngest drummer ever inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame (at age 37) and is currently the youngest in the magazine’s Hall of Fame. DRUM! Magazine named him Drummer Of The Year for the last two years in a row (2011 & 2012), and he won the Revolver Golden Gods Award for Drummer Of The Year in 2011.

As a founding member of Mr. Big, Billy Sheehan forged his place in hard rock history. Mr. Big’s trademark virtuosic musicianship with stellar vocal harmonies and earned them numerous hit songs, including the ubiquitous “To Be With You,” which was a Billboard Hot 100 #1 single in 15 countries, propelling the band to major international success and record sales in the multi-millions. Sheehan was voted the Best Rock Bass Player 5 times in Guitar Player magazine’s Readers Poll, earning him a spot in their Gallery of Greats along with Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Geddy Lee, Eddie Van Halen and more, and he has won several Reader’s polls around the world. He won the prestigious Player magazine (Japan’s #1 Music mag) Reader’s Poll for Best Bass Player an unprecedented 14 consecutive times and Burrn! magazine’s (Japan’s #1 heavy metal mag) Readers’ Poll five times. His hands and signature are preserved in cement on the Rockwalk at Guitar Center in Hollywood, CA.

1. Elevate
2. Desire
3. We Are One
4. I’m No Angel
5. The Other Side
6. You Saved Me
7. Not Hopeless
8. One More Time
9. Damaged
10. Six Feet Deeper
11. Criminal
12. The Dying
13. Regret

Deep Purple are up next with their latest single called 'Vincent Price'. It comes from the new album 'Now What?!', the 19th studio album from the band and first new studio album in 8 years.

Guitarist Steve Morse said about the track, “The song is compact and funky. I like the way it opens up with Don (Airey) doing this great horror movie keyboard part. Actually, he used to play for silent movies, so he knows that stuff backwards and forwards.

“The riff sparked the lyrical content of the song and the title. Ian (Gillen) always likes to spice things up and get light when he can, so he went in that direction. He’s the guy who doesn’t try to be 'heavy metal.' The riff is straight-ahead heavy, so that's covered."

The video features a young couple making their way into a spooky mansion, with a Vincent Price look a like as their tormentor. It even features some damn nice pole dancing that the Vincent character is really enjoying, at least until he is exposed to sunlight. It all wraps up in a wax museum kind of way, with the band as participants. An entertaining and well made video to go along with a solid track from Deep Purple.

The band are currently touring Europe, and will be into the middle of August. No U.S. dates have been announced for 2013 as of yet. Let's hope will see some dates later this year, but it looks like the window is small as they will have one European date in October, then will tour Russia in November.

Las Vegas hard rockers Five Finger Death Punch are back in a big way with their kick ass track 'Lift Me Up', featuring guest vocals from Rob Halford of Judas Priest. The track continues to expose the band to more and more people, as FFDP are poised to take their massive success to an even higher level.

The band's new album 'The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell, Volume 1' is due out July 30th. The deluxe edition features 14 new tracks, with a bonus 15 track live CD, 'Purgatory [Tales From The Pit]'. The album is the first release of two new studio albums. The imagery for both upcoming studio albums was created by legendary comic book artist and illustrator Greg Capullo (Batman, Spawn).

Having already played a few major festivals in Europe this month, the band have their touring schedule locked in for the rest of the year. The Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour along with Rob Zombie, Mastodon, Machine Head, Amon Amarth and more kicks off June 29th in San Bernadino, CA. They follow that with a tour of Canada in September with Escape The Fate and more, then will tour Europe with Avenged Sevenfold during November and December. It's going to be another big year for FFDP, that will carry into 2014!

Great White recently posted a video for their latest track 'Shotgun Willie's' that was filmed on the recent Monsters of Rock Cruise. It shows the band in a relaxed rocking atmosphere, connecting with their fans.

The track is the fourth single from the band's album 'Elation', and while I will always feel connected to the Jack Russell Great White era, Terry Ilous (XYZ) has added his own vocal talents on an album that can stand and rock on its own merits. This is probably my favorite track from the current incarnation of Great White, and it showcases the great musicianship of the band, including Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards), Audie Desbrow (drums), bassist Scott Snyder and long time guitarist Mark Kendall.

Great White will be touring for all of 2013, sharing the stage with the likes of Enuff Z'nuff, Night Ranger, Slaughter, REO Speedwagon, Queensryche, Stephen Pearcy, Bret Michaels and Stryper. Look for a date near you and check 'em out: greatwhiterocks.com

Rock journalist Mitch Lafon is assembling an all-star lineup of great rock musicians for an 'A World With Heroes' KISS tribute album, marking the 40th anniversary of KISS. Pledges can be made now through www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kiss40thtribute and will be used to make this amazing tribute come to life and to benefit The Vaudreuil-Soulanges Palliative Cancer Care hospice (Lafon's father-in-law passed away there peacefully on January 4th, 2013).

Don Dokken and Accept's Mark Tornillo are the latest artists to sign up for the KISS tribute album 'A World With Heroes'. Dokken will be covering the '70s KISS classic "Cold Gin" while Tornillo will venture into KISS' heavier '90s sound with his cover of "Spit" from the 'Revenge' album.